The Hot Hatch Discussion Thread: VAG? I prefer my FiST.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The Hot Hatch Discussion Thread: VAG? I prefer my FiST.

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What hot hatch do you own? This poll is closed.
Golf GTI / R / R32	196	0.02%
Impreza WRX / STi	133	0.01%
Mazdaspeed 3	92	0.01%
Veloster Turbo	20	0.00%
Focus ST	149	0.01%
Other Hot Hatch	230	0.02%
Elantra GT	1000001	99.92%
Total:	1000821 votes

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Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Haven't seen much in the thread from Abarth owners lately. How are you all enjoying/hating your cars?

# ¿ Jun 21, 2015 02:45

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:50

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

A Loud Fart posted:

I would like to know too. I test drove an abarth this weekend and loved it. It looks cool, especially in red, sounds awesome, and is agile with the 17"s. The cloth seats were meh and the cargo space was laughable, but as an affordable Italian vanity car, well, gently caress, I want one for irrational reasons.

I can't find a FiST near by, are they as rowdy as the Abarth?

I want one too. There are a ton of affordable used ones within a day's drive of me. My wife keeps seeing me look at them online and she's been encouraging me to just go for it and buy one. I love the white ones with white rims:

I just wonder why so many people are getting rid of them :ohdear:

# ¿ Jun 22, 2015 11:02

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

crazzy posted:

Super low rent interior, everything felt cheaper than my 97 jeep cherokee, which is saying something.

Very buzzy on the highway, not really its forte, much better as a city/around town car.

Handling is not the best, very top heavy, and leans a lot around corners, doesn't inspire confidence.

Fiesta ST is a better car in every tangible way, and new, they were around the same starting price tag.

..........that being said, I share your affection for a white on white one, and would love to pick one up as a daily driver/beater once they drop below $10k

Thanks for the feedback!

I've been looking at Fiest ST's, MS3's, and Cooper S' too. I'd love to stay around $15k at the higher end if possible. Here is some of what I've found so far in the used market.

Abarth:

Wide variety of price ranges. Starting as low as $11.9k and going up to the low $20's. Lots of inventory.

I could go with something like this for super cheap:

- 2013 20k miles, $11.9k, grey w/ standard rims, no Abarth stripe, cloth.

Or I could go with something like this for a few thousand more:

- 2014 16k miles, $15.9k, white w/ white rims, Abarth stripe, cloth.

Fiesta ST:

Much more limited inventory which is to be expected from such a new car. Most of the used ones start around $17.5 - $18k. This is for base trim, no frills. This is just more than I wanted to spend on a car. If I wait another year I feel like they would be closer to my price range.

MS3:

Okay inventory, but hard to find something with low miles in my price range. Found some with 50k miles around $16k. I'd have to spend closer to $20k to find something with lower miles.

Cooper S:

Lots of inventory and prices are all over the place. With some patience i think I could find something in the 2012/30k mile range for around $15k.

Oh, and Volkswagen GTI's are on the table too, but I'm having trouble finding them in my price range (with low miles) on a consistent basis. I would need to be really patient.

Ehud fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Jun 22, 2015

# ¿ Jun 22, 2015 16:35

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Nodoze posted:

Protip: Do Not Buy A Mini

Best car of that bunch is the Speed3 IMO

crazzy posted:

I just sold my wife's 2010 speed 3. Most reliable car we've ever owned. Its also the most paint can shaker-like car i can think of. most vibratey engine i've ever owned. clutch pedal is a pain, shifter sucks. A/C is very strong though, very similar to my wife's 135i. much much better than my sti.

Thanks for the responses. My wife has a regular Mazda 3, so I have some experience with them. I do like the MS3 a lot, especially since I just got a big dog and I'd like a backseat to take him places. I've kind of narrowed it down to MS3, GTI, and the Abarth.

Those MS3 seats are hilarious, by the way. They look like something from a skating rink or a background from a 1992 yearbook picture.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2015 18:08

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

After spending the weekend test driving cars, I just took the plunge and just secured a 2013 Abarth with only 4600 miles. I'm doing the whole thing through a local dealer who specializes in finding specific cars for customers, rather than a traditional lot.

They have the car inspected, then arrange for shipping, inspect the car again once it arrives, and take care of any cosmetic defects or repairs that come up. If any repair costs more than $500 then I am allowed out of the purchase.

The only issue with the car is it has really stupid graphics. The dealer is going to have them removed for me once the car comes in. I also instructed them to look for aftermarket mods.

lol why would you put these graphics on the car

Leather seats, white interior trim:

And a neat bonus, it comes with the Beats audio, which should do fine for me. I'm no audiophile.

I think once the graphics are removed, it's going to look awesome. It's going to be my daily driver, but I'm also keeping my Ranger as a back-up/third vehicle.

I can't wait :haw:

Ehud fucked around with this message at 17:59 on Jul 6, 2015

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 17:56

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I don't like the scorpions, but honestly the car could have graphics that say "man love rules ok" and I'd still be excited to get it. I've never had a car I like.

Ehud's car history:

1993 Chevy Blazer
No A/C
Passenger side window didn't roll down

1996 Honda Civic
197k miles when I got it
Got it to 275k miles and it died
Taught me how to drive a manual transmission

2003 Ford Ranger
Zero options
Never breaks
Rides like a rock polisher
So much play in the steering wheel it looks like I'm driving in a 1950's movie

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 21:25

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Ludicro posted:

Honestly Fiat 500s and Mini Coopers are among the few cars that you can go really hog wild with decals and graphics and its in perfect keeping with the spirit of the car.

I agree, but I'm not big on these particular decals. I love the regular Abarth stripes, and I even like the off-center hood stripe, but the scorpions...eh...

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 22:01

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Bob A Feet posted:

No offense, but an abarth without graphics looks exactly like every other fiat.

I'm gonna have graphics, just not a gigantic roof scorpion.

Maybe like this:

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 22:39

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Linux Nazi posted:

Are those stock wheels? They look great.

Yeah you can get the black or white wheels from the factory.

Here are the black ones:

# ¿ Jul 6, 2015 23:07

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Ringo Star Get posted:

Spotted this Abarth out and about. Do this.

lol

BloodBag posted:

Those look like O.Z. Superleggeras. Also, wtf? Why wouldn't you keep the graphics? I think you should buy a yaris and leave the cool cars to people who appreciate them

Please don't kick me out of the cool car club

what if I do something like this

# ¿ Jul 7, 2015 00:15

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

AF posted:

I've got your back on this. Those side stripes with the color matching wing mirror caps is a great look. The ones with the scorpion don't look right to me because they have to terminate 3/4ths of the way for said scorpion. Not fond of giant roof scorpion either, but it all kind of comes together for a brash, in your face look which I can appreciate.

Glad I'm not alone. I just bought some red stripes on eBay

Now I just have to wait for my car to get here :gonk:

It's already a funny car to own and I don't even have it in my possession yet. Everyone either loves or hates it. Here are some of my favorite negative comments so far...

"A Fiat? I just lost so much respect for you."

"That's not what I expected. I figured you'd get something more masculine."

"Why don't you get a Fiesta or Focus ST? Not gay enough?"

"You sure there's enough room in that hatch for all your dildos?"

I think the last one is my favorite.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2015 11:02

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Ludicro posted:

Just advise them you have had to get a Fiat 500 to compensate for your enormous penis. I have a Mini for the same reason really.

lol

How do you like your Mini? I drove a Cooper S when I tested out an Abarth and I thought it was a great car. Felt really polished and definitely faster than the Abarth.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2015 12:41

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

SFH1989 posted:

Paint that ISIS dildo flag on the roof like a modern General Lee.

I wonder how long my car would make it in South Carolina with an ISIS dildo flag on it.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2015 14:18

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

bought a thing

I love thing

# ¿ Jul 16, 2015 13:25

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I didn't find any used Fiesta ST's for under 17.5k when I was looking at cars. And they were base models.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2015 12:13

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

You Am I posted:

*flicks cigarette at u*

*tries to do a burnout out of the parking lot in a fwd*

# ¿ Jul 29, 2015 11:34

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Had my Abarth for a couple of weeks now and I'm totally in love with it. It makes me laugh whenever I drive it :haw:

I just hope my neighbors don't hate me too much. The 5:30am cold starts sound really loud when I leave for the gym in the morning.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2015 13:33

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Abarth when I got it:

Stripped off the graphics:

Added factory style Abarth stripe:

On the fence about whether or not to add the red mirror caps. Like this:

Anyway, I love this car. It's so much fun to drive and I like how it confuses people. I have no regrets about my silly car purchase.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2015 16:22

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

GutBomb posted:

You should really put the scorpion back on the roof.

gonna get an animated graphic of my avatar for the roof

# ¿ Aug 21, 2015 16:35

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

AnimalChin posted:

What's confusing about it?

Non-car people have no idea what it is. It doesn't have any Fiat badges, just Abarth.

So I get a lot of "I've never heard of...a...barth. What is that?"

It also gets confused looks whenever anyone hears the exhaust because it sounds much fiercer than the car looks

# ¿ Aug 21, 2015 16:51

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Sigma X posted:

Glad you're willing to settle for lovely quality in automotive manufacturing and service. That attitude is why we do have to put up with it.

I mean, it's just a fact of life that you get what you pay for. Of course a cheap hot hatch is going to be of worse quality than a luxury sports car.

This also applies (in general) to electronics, clothing, food, hookers, etc.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2015 17:56

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

fyodor posted:

Cross-posted from Terrible Car Stuff thread:

My wife loves my Abarth and defends it when anyone criticizes it.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2015 22:58

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

No. 6 posted:

My wife is going to start working in an office again (as opposed from home) and we're finally going to need a second car. This would be for me to drive when I can't use my motorcycle.

I really want a new Abarth 5 speed. How crazy am I to buy this car? I'd be putting around 6,000 miles a year on it.

I have an Abarth and so do other dudes in the 500 thread. Somebody asked us our general impression of the car and what common issues we've seen. Here are our replies:

Ehud posted:

I have a 2013 Abarth. Here are some things to consider that I've realized as I've driven the car.

- The back seat is a lie. It's a two seater car unless your friends are all little people or Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump.

- The bluetooth on 2012 and 2013 does not allow you to listen to music via Bluetooth. You'll have to plug in a USB or AUX cable.

- The turning radius on the car is hilarious. You'll feel like you'r driving a school bus when you perform a three point turn. Normal 500's do not have this issue - just the Abarth. It's not a huge deal to me and I've learned how to adjust the way I parallel park and whatnot, but it might piss some people off.

- Abarths have a pretty active modding community. Be sure to ask what all has been done to the car since you're buying used. If it's a clueless dealer rather than a private party, check for things under the hood like piggyback ECU's, modified intakes, etc. It's just good to know what you're getting into.

- The leather seats are much better than the cloth seats, in my opinion, but that's just a personal preference.

- If your girlfriend listens to a lot of music then try to find one with the Beats audio package. It's pretty good if you want a better than factory stereo. Comes with a little amp and subwoofer that live in the hatch. Audiophiles won't be impressed, but it's good for the common man.

As far as issues with specific years, I stayed away from 2012's because that was the first US version of the car and there seemed to be more issues with the first generation. My car only has 8k miles so I can't speak to the long term reliability of the car, but here are the issues I've had so far:

- Tire pressure sensor went bad. Fiat fixed this for me.

- The paint quality on the car is pretty bad. I have a lot of little chips on the front and my white rims are chipped all over the place.

- The driver's side window rattles a lot. Not sure if Fiat will fix that or not.

- The molding/skirt on the side of the car is starting to come loose on one side. Going to have Fiat look at this when I take the care in for service. From what I've read online, they will fix it.

All pretty minor stuff.

Overall I love the car. It's my daily driver and the only other person who ever rides with me is my wife. The car is really controversial for some reason. People either love it or call me gay for owning "a girl's car", but I guess that's less of a concern for your girlfriend It definitely turns heads and is a conversation starter. I've probably had 20 or 30 strangers talk to me about the car and I've only owned it since this summer.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the Abarth.

Tanz-Kommandant posted:

To add on/correct;

'12-'14 didn't have bluetooth audio streaming

'12 is the first MY of the Abarth, no major issues except fit and finish, everything else should have been taken care of under warranty by the PO

'12-'13 is the most mod-able years for the Abarth, a lot of tuners are falling behind on the '14+ Abarths especially when it comes to handheld tuners

'15 is the first year of the LCD dash and the heat-shield on the turbo is different, as is the Manifold Vacuum Sensor location and as such a lot of the accessories and performance parts have to closely scrutinized before making the plunge

'14 was the first year that the "Turbo" blacked out lights were offered on the Abarth, as with many parts on these cars the Turbo lights can be retrofitted to any MY Abarth with no issue whatsoever, beware of eBay sellers however since a lot of the lights sold on eBay have been damaged during removal from the donor car

All MY Abarths have an issue with the windows being out of alignment with the top of the door frame, it's hit-and-miss as to which one you'll wind up with but my '13 Turbo had a driver window rattle and my '15 does not. Luck of the draw I suppose.

As is mentioned backseats are useless, I'm 5'9" and I can't have an adult sitting behind me comfortably for more than a quick run around town, road trips with more than 2 occupants is really out of the question

All MY Abarths have a mis-alignment on the hood, you can simply bend the corners in and it'll fit flush with no rubbing, did this to both my Turbo and Abarth

Pay special attention to the side skirts, if you notice any peeling make sure to get that fixed as part of your deal, make them put it on the Due Bill no matter what

The front bumper may show sag between the front fenders, this is sadly normal as the bumper is held on by 6 plastic trim clips and 4 screws, the screws are located in the wheel wells and as such have no bearing on the droop of the bumper so if the front end has ever bottomed out you can tell immediately

The mirror caps are massive and as such you may notice whistling at highway speeds, this is normal, they are also stupid easy to remove to repaint/wrap/plasti-dip
The front bumper is prone to rock chips and damage since it is relatively flat, pay special attention to just above the Abarth badge on the front bumper as well, if it's digging into the paint and chipping it FIAT will repaint your entire front bumper under warranty

The stock intercoolers are kind of a joke and a very popular mod is to get a front mount intercooler, they're inexpensive and fairly easy to install by yourself. You will notice an improvement over stock and there will be far less heat-soak after highway trips or hard pulls
The Abarth has a 3-stage ESC, it is ON, press the button once for PARTIALLY OFF and hold the button for roughly 10 seconds and you will hear a chime/see an indicator in the dash that it is FULLY OFF, turn traction control off and you're now essentially in track mode.
Audio upgrades are a pain in the rear end because the speakers are behind large trim panels that have clips that break easily, on top of that the stock speakers are riveted into the chassis so you will have to drill them out then mount your new speakers, luckily the AMP and/or Sub is easy since it's designed for one anyways. Beats is great for the little care and BOSE is kinda meh, tbh all sound systems in this car are mediocre at best but get the job done. Crutchfield has the hookup if you feel the need.

Personal opinion; the '13 and '14 are the best MY for the Abarth, the '12 shouldn't be passed on just because it's a 1st MY but the '14 is by far the best MY. The '15 is a joke and has a lot of technical issues, mine has been in the shop a lot, in fact I get to pick it up tomorrow after being in the shop since Nov 9th for the Blue & Me, 4th or 5th attempted repair IIRC. I used to sell these little bastards and have owned both a Turbo and an Abarth so my knowledge on them is pretty vast, ask me anything if you need to.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I love my car

# ¿ Jan 7, 2016 19:57

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

My brother had the same issue with his wheels and switched to ceramic pads. He said the dust is basically nonexistent now. I thought about trying them on my Abarth because I have white wheels like an idiot.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2016 13:58

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I've been researching mods for my Abarth and I came across this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB-WfKMm-3c

and now I want to drive around an Abarth that sounds like a little turbocharged tractor

# ¿ Mar 24, 2016 23:57

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I love my Abarth. It's fun to drive around and have people laugh at you :haw:

# ¿ May 24, 2016 00:32

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I mean, I don't think anyone is going to recommend an ST over an RS. It's really easy for us to spend your money for you :haw:

The RS is almost in a different category altogether. If the ST is a hot hatch then the RS is on fire.

I want one :smith:

# ¿ Jun 9, 2016 11:04

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I haven't driven the RS but shouldn't 100hp and AWD make it feel drastically different from the ST? Shouldn't it feel a lot more powerful? It's like a second and a half faster from 0-60.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2016 14:21

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Abarths are very small, come in automatic and can be had for cheap because Fiat is doing poorly in the US and no one likes the car but me

I DRIVE A SHOE

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 21:17

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

or hey get the new Abarth Spyder which is just a Miata but turbo and probably worse but will sound amazing

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 21:24

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

^^^lol you posted this right as I posted this:

Huh there are reviews out for that car now and several places are saying it's better than the Miata :stare:

http://jalopnik.com/the-2017-fiat-124-spider-really-is-better-than-the-miat-1781392740

http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/124-spider/first-drive-0

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/abarth/124/95868/abarth-124-spider-2016-review

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 21:32

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

I don't get why they don't have the matte options. If I'm getting an Abarth I want it to look as absurd as possible.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 21:34

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

iwentdoodie posted:

I tried to like the car, but I have driven literal buses with better seating positions.

Sounds cool though.

It is an insanely weird seating position, I'll grant you that.

I like my dumb little car overall. It's been a lot of fun for not many dollars. I got a 2013 with 6k miles for 16k last summer. Leather seats, 17" wheels, audio package. Pretty good deal.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 22:06

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Rhyno posted:

Define "cheap."

I got mine for 16k last summer. It's a 2013 that had 6k miles, leather seats, bigger wheels, audio package.

Edit: I saw some 2012's with cloth seats when I was looking for 12-13k.

Ehud fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Jun 11, 2016

# ¿ Jun 11, 2016 04:29

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

BigHouseOfBooty posted:

I am sure I mentioned I love your car. I prefer your clear headlights compared to my blacked out ones.
Mine is auto and is phenomenal, it blips the throttle, fuel cuts on downshifts and afterfires just the same as the standard.

white Abarth buddies

# ¿ Jun 11, 2016 04:30

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

IOwnCalculus posted:

There's a 2013 on Beepi for just over $11k. I certainly don't have the money to get it even if I sold my Jeep (and I don't want to sell the Jeep!) but drat it is tempting.

The resale value on these cars is hilariously bad. I can't imagine how mad I would be if I bought one new.

Fiat needs the 124 and the 500x to succeed :ohdear:

# ¿ Jun 11, 2016 04:52

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

PaintVagrant posted:

Lets all get in line to buy an Italian Chrysler Miata for full retail, its an investment

not enough room in the trunk for all my beanie babies

# ¿ Jun 11, 2016 18:08

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Had my car for almost a year and this is by far the most common interaction:

Middle aged woman: How do you like your car?

Ehud: I like it a lot, it's a lot of fun.

Middle aged woman: I love it! I think it is so cute!

Ehud: Thank you!

Middle aged woman: What kind of gas mileage do you get?

Every time with the gas mileage question...

Anyways, I was looking down the road a few years to see what I might get to replace my Abarth when I have a need for an actual back seat. I saw that Honda is supposed to bring the Type-R to the US at one point so I looked into it. Man, that is an XTREME design.

I kind of like it :q:

# ¿ Jun 21, 2016 13:01

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

fknlo posted:

I generally like white cars, but the red looks way better than the white they've previously shown. It somehow looks way less busy and tacky without changing anything else. I think the key to the success of the Type R in the US will depend hugely on price. If it doesn't undercut the Golf R/STI/Focus RS by a few grand I think it will flop pretty hard outside of die hard Honda fanboys. It looks like a blast in the videos I've seen and I've become a pretty big fan of what Honda is(or at least was) capable of with engines since I bought my s2k.

Car and Driver thinks it's going to be around 30k and that it is meant to split the difference between Focus ST/Focus RS and GTI/Golf R. If they actually hit that 30k mark then that would be appropriately priced based in its intentions. We'll see. It might not hit the states for two more years.

Sigma X posted:

I once had a middle-aged man in a Prius start chatting me up at a stoplight, the interaction went something like this:

Man: Hey, nice car! What is it?

Sig: It's a Porsche, Porsche Cayman.

Man: Nice, what kind of gas mileage do you get in that thing?

Sig: Who the gently caress cares; it's a sports car!

And then I rode off into the sunset, tipping my fedora.

This lady was driving a mid 00's VW Beetle :haw:

# ¿ Jun 21, 2016 13:32

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 18:50

Ehud: Sep 19, 2003; football.

Your first manual was a Focus RS? :psyberger:

Mine was a 1996 Honda Civic haha

# ¿ Jun 25, 2016 19:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The Hot Hatch Discussion Thread: VAG? I prefer my FiST.

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